Green Solvents as an Alternative to DMF in ZIF-90 Synthesis

The use of green solvents as an alternative to dimethylformamide (DMF) in the synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90) was investigated. Two biobased aprotic dipolar solvents Cyrene^TM and γ-valerolactone (GVL) proved to successfully replace DMF in the synthesis at room temperature with a high product yield. While the Cyrene^TM-based product shows reduced porosity after activation, the use of GVL resulted in materials with preserved crystallinity and porosity after activation, without prior solvent exchange and a short treatment at 200 °C. The primary particles of 30 nm to 60 nm in all products further form agglomerates of different size and interparticle mesoporosity, depending on the type and molar ratios of solvents used.